Yarn-conditioning machine



Oct. 9, 1928.

A. BLANCHARD YARN CONDITIONING MACHINE Filed April 24, 1926 INQEN+ mv: 8W

- qualities.

Patented on. 9, 1928.

ALFRED BLANCHARD, OF WARE, ivIASsAcnnsnTTS, ASSIGNOR To OTIS ooMPAivvQoF WARE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPGB-ATION OEMASSACHUSETTS.

YARN-CONDITIONING- MACHIN E.

.Application filed April 24, 1926. Serial No. 104,328.

My invention relates to a device for conditioning yarn and particularly rayon and celanese yarns to improve their knitting It has been found in the knitting of these'yarns that they can be knit much more satisfactorily and with less trouble from splitting and breakage, and from fibres which wrap around the needles-of the Ina-- chine, if the yarns are conditioned by being subjected to the action OfStGaZIL or water vapor and are treated with. a vegetable oil like olive oilijust before being knitted. As

far as is known to me there has not been any satisfactory device for attachment to a knitting machine which will properly condition the yarn. As is well known to those skilled in the art, the yarn should be treatedexactly the right amount as either too much or too little treatment injuriously aifects the condition of the yarn for knitting. Furthermore, it is very important that the yarn be conducted along a path such that the strain on the yarn will be reduced as much as possible and so that there shall be no corners or sharp angles which are likely to iiijure the yarn or break it. The device must also be constructed so that'it can be quickly and easily threaded up and so that when a yarn breaks it will not contact with-other yarns and tangle some orall of them.

In the device embodying my invention'I provide a steam chamber and an oil chamber the whole being located inside the area defined bythe several yarns as they run'from the cones of the knitting machine to the yarn guides above them. From the cones, the yarn passes through the several yarn guides, then down through there subjected to the action'of steam or water vapor, thence over a wick communicating with the oil pan and thence through the tension devices directly to the needles. The. I device takes advantage of the natural pathway of the yarn anddelivers the perfectly conditioned yarn directlyto the needles before. any change in the condition takes place. Each yarn is separated from the others so that here is no tangling when one breaks, By theuse of the device em-,

and the machine canlberun at a higherrate cylindrical chambers in the conditioning device being dition of the yarn. Y

The invention will be fully understood from the following description'when'taken n connection with the'accomp'anyingdraw-- ings and the novel features'thereof will be pointed outand clearly defined-inthe claims I at the close of this specification.

In-the drawings: I 1 I V Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the upper part of a knitting'machine to-which is applied the attachment embodying my'invention.

' Fig. 2 iS a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 3.

shown in Fig. 2. v

F igr l-is a section on: line i- Fig.- 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device J Fig. 5 is a horizontal section of amodified form of the device embodying my invention. I I

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Fig. 1:

1 At A is shown conventionally the'cylin 'der or knitting'liead of'a knittingmachine of ordinary construction. At B is shown the cone supporting frame:mounted-on a central rod C which also carries the top yarn guidesD and central yarn guides G. and the The cones of yarn are shown at yarn at F.

Inside the space defined by -the severalc yarns F is placed the yarn; conditioner em bodying my 1nventi0n;""Thi-s yarn 'condi-- tioner will be more fully-understood by ref erence to Figs. Q'and 3. It includes a base 1 '11 containing an oil chamber 12, ;and an up- .per'sectio'n 13 containing a steam chamber 14, the lower part of which is cylindrical and the upper part of which is preferably formed in the shape of a frustum of a cone; The steam chamber'is closedby a top 15. Centrally located of the device is a pipe 16 through which the upright red. C, which sup} ports the upper. yarn guides, passes. The

conical portion of the steam chamber 14 is Slotted as hown at 17.1"7jwith a. series of upwardly inclined slots and these slots are covered or enclosed by "tubular members 18-.

which form auxiliary steamchambers lying on the outside of the conical portion. This construction will'be clearly shownby reference to Fig. 4:. These cylindrical'mem-: bers 18 are conical in shape atthe upper end as Shown at lO, see'Fig. 3. Both upper and lower ends are providedwith porcelain yarn V i guides 6. This construction is such that'the device can be threaded easily by the use of a wire or snake which is centered by the conical upper end 40. Thus, in threading the device applicant inserts a snake or wire" through the lower yarn guide 6 in each .ofthe members 18,'and this wire is centered by the conical upper end 40, so that it will pass through the yarn guide 6. The yarn is then attached to the end of the ;.wire or snake projecting through the upper end iotthemember :18 and is drawn down through that member.

Steam 1s supplied to the steam chamber 14' by the inlet-pipe 23 and the condensation is removed by a drip pipe 24- which I passes down through the oil chamber 12.

The oil chamber 12 contains a suitable supply of proper oil for conditioningthe particular yarn to be knit and is provided with a .series of wicks 7 which extend into the in- 'terior of the oil pan and lie over its upper outer'edge 1n the path of the yarn as it comes out of the lower yarn guide 6. At 26 is shown another yarn guide which prevents the yarn from being displaced laterally and working of]? the wick. This yarn guide is also located so that the pressure of the yarn on the wick is sufficient to oil it properly but not enough to cut into the wick.

Inthe operation of the device embodying my machine, the pan 12 is filled with oil which is drawn up by capillary attraction through :the wicks 7. The yarns from the cones E pass over the top yarn guides D then through-the center yarn guides G. Thence itpasses downwardly to the yarn guides 6 which are located at the upper ends of the auxiliary chambers 18. As the yarn passes through the chambers it is subjected to the softening action of the steam vapor. The yarnthen passes out from the lower yarn guides 6 over the wicks 7 and through the' yarn guides 26 and thence directly to tension devices,'not shown, and to the needles.

By making the auxiliarychamber 18 theproper:length and by regulating the temperature of the steam or water vapor in the steam chamber:- 14, the yarn will be satisfactorilyconditioned without being softened too much which has heretofore been a serious ob ection wlth steam devices, for cond tioningrayonand celanese yarns. The oil in the oilchamber isheated' by the steam from the steam chamber which thus increases the tendency of the oilto flow and improves the operation of the machine, but the oil is not mixed with the condensation from thesteam and the full benefit of the oil is obtained. Since each yarn is contained in a separate steam chamberlS while it is being steamed, notangling with 'the other yarns occurs, if the-yarn breaks. It will also be seen that the several steam chambers and the oil ,wicks are in the natural path of the yarn from the cones to the needles, and that the yarn passes directly from the conditioning device tov the needles while it is still in the best condition for knitting.

In Fig. 5 I have shown. on. a smallersczile,

a modified form of the device embodying my invention. In thisform'ofthe device there is a base 50 containing the oil chamber, a

central cylindrical steam chamber 51 and a series of auxlliary, steam chambers 52 which are connected to the central chamber 51 and supported by aradial brace 53. The steam passes from the central steam chamberto the auxiliary steamv chambersln the same way as in the preferred form of my device and. several yarns are suriiclently enclosed bythe auxiliary chambers to prevent tanghng in case of breakage of any of the yarns.

WhatI claim is: 1. The conditioning device for a machine of the "character described comprisinga plurality of separate steam chambers one for each thread to be conditioned, a main steam chamber supplying steam to said separate chambers, and an oilingdevice supplying oil to the yarn as it emerges'from said separate steam chambers. s

2. The conditioning device for-a machine of the character described comprising a pluralityof separate steam chambers one :ior

each thread to be conditioned, a main steam chamber supplying steam to said separate chambers and a wick :teed oiling device sup plying oil to the yarn as it emerges-from said separate steam chambers. V p 3. The'improved conditioningdevice for the machines of the character described comprising a plurality of steam chambers and an oil chamber, yarn guides directing the yarns through the steam chambers, and

Echamber supplying steam to said separate chambers, an oil chamber separate tromthe steam chambers but heated thereby, and wick oilers taking oil from-said chamber applying it to the yarns as they emerge from the steam chambers.

5. The conditioning device .for a machine ofthe character described, comprising a pluralit y of separate-steam chambers, one for each thread to be conditioned, and provided with a yarn guide in the end thereof, the end provided with said yarn'g'uide having an interior conical surface adjoining the thread opening tofacilitate threading the device. I

6. The improved conditioning device for machines of the characterdescr'ibed com-' prising a steam chambergan'dan oil chamber,

a series of auxiliary chambers communicating with the steam chamber and each being provided with yarn guides for directing the yarn through said smaller steam chambers, and wicks the ends of which are in the oilchamber and portions of which overlie the edge of the oil chamber in the path of the yarn as it emerges from the said smaller chambers.

7. The improved conditioning device com-H each of the several yarnsto be conditioned will each pass through one of the auxiliary chambers and on emerging therefrom Wlll pass over one of the said wicks on its way to the needles of the machine.

8. In combination with a knitting machine which includes cone supports, upper yarn guides and needles and a central rod to support the upper yarn guides, a device including a steam chamber and an oil chamber surrounding said central rod, said steam chamber being provided wlth yarn guides to direct the yarn into and out of said steam chamber and said oil chamber being provided with wicks to apply oil to the yarn as it emerges from the steam chamber, the

whole being located above the cylinders of the knitting machine so that the yarn will pass from the cones over the upper yarn guides through the steam chamber over the wicks and directly to the needles of the knit= ting machine.

9. In combination, means for transferring yarn in a continuous length from one place to another, means for heating and slightly moisteningsaid yarn during its passage, and

means for applying an oilto the yarn immediately after the heating and moistening thereof, substant ally as described. I

10. The method of treating yarn which consists in moving the same in a continuous length from one place to another, heating and moistening the yarn during its movement, and wiplng said yarn, after the heating and moistening thereof, against an oil i s e13 saturated member, substantially as and for the purposes described.

11. In combinatioma machine adapted to.

carry a bobbin of yarn or like material and to use yarn unwound from said bobbin, comblned wlth a hollow member through which the yarn passes, said member having guldes in substantially opposite sides thereof for the passage of the yarn, means for conductmg steam to the interlor of said member and means for applying an oil to the yarn im-- mediately after it is passed'from said hollow Z member. 7 12. In combination, with a knitting machine having a support fora bobbin of yarn, the yarn being transferred from said bobbin to said knitting machine, of an elongated tubular member through which the yarn passes lengthwise,'guides for the yarn inopposite ends of said member, means for sup plying steam to the interior of said member, and an oil saturated wick disposed closely adjacent to the outlet of said member against which the yarn bears to have wiping contact therewith, as it passes to the knitting machine, substantially as described.

13. In a knitting machine having a support for aplurality'of bobbins of yarn, a hollow member through which yarn from all of the bobbins passes to the knitting machine, said 'member having a plurality of pairs of guides, one palr for each yarn pass ing to the machine through which the yarn passes thereby traversing the hollow member, means for supplying steam to the interior of saidmember, a pan adapted to hold. an oil malntalned 1n liquid condition from the heat given off by said steam, said pan being located at the outlet side of said meme ber, and wicks, one for each yarn passing from the member, havingone end immersed in said oil and the opposite end positioned so that itsrespective yarn bears against it as it passes from said hollow member to the machine.

14. The method of treating yarn for knitting which consists in moving a length of yarn lengthwise from one point to another,

subjecting the yarn, during a portion of its movement, to the action of steam, and immediately applying oil to the yarn after it has been heated and moistened by the steam.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALFRED BLANCI-IARD. 

